Bolton leave Ferguson with puzzle to solve

By Sam Wallace

12:01AM GMT 24 Feb 2003

By the time the clock had reached 85 minutes at the Reebok Stadium, Sam Allardyce might as well have been marking David Beckham. The Bolton manager was a yard inside the touchline on Manchester United's right wing and was motioning his players back towards their own goal with the urgency of a man evacuating a burning house.

Life is simple when you are near the bottom: you score, you defend and you try to survive. Contrast that with Sir Alex Ferguson, whose team lose to Arsenal but beat Juventus. Who conquer the broiling politics of their own dressing room only to throw away points at humble neighbours. Their manager could break the boundaries of his own technical area, but what would he shout when he ventured outside it?

For a while, United's performances have defied the definitive chapter headings that their history so often demands. With an inspirational captain racked by the pain of his Voltarol injections they could so easily be cast as a team on the slide, but even without Roy Keane at full strength United were good enough to beat Serie A's best team. No wonder Ferguson looked more baffled than angry afterwards.

The theme of his career has been dramatic rebuilding, the ability to tear up what works well and replace it with something that works better. This lacklustre draw with Bolton, at such a crucial stage of the season, suggests the need for something more subtle from the United manager.

In Wes Brown and John O'Shea for instance, Ferguson has two great talents who have shone in some of United's darkest hours this season. Even a Keane with one working hip bone is better than no Keane at all and David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville should be in the form of their lives. Ferguson's tendency towards blame and forgiveness will have to be replaced by a more cerebral search to unlock the potential of his last great United team.

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They languish five points behind Arsenal with 10 games left and no sign of a consistent run of results. Some United players, Ferguson said, had played four times since Bolton last took to the field. "I think Bolton were well prepared, they kept up the pace and were a handful - not surprising when you consider how fresh they were," Ferguson said.

"We have played four games while they have been out getting some sun in Dubai," he added with a smile as he considered, no doubt, the vision of Allardyce, in sunglasses and safari shirt, leading his squad through the desert in a fleet of Jeeps. That was genuinely one of the exercises the Bolton manager organised for his team as they contemplated two weeks without action.

Do not underestimate Allardyce, because Ferguson certainly does not. He is a shrewd operator who, although one of those Premiership managers who enjoys Ferguson's approval, is not afraid of questioning United. This weekend, with his team three points clear of the relegation places, Allardyce chose the attitude of referees towards the seven-times Premiership champions.

"When it is a blatant penalty in the Manchester United penalty area it doesn't get given, it never does," Allardyce said.

The point in question was O'Shea wrestling Ivan Campo to the ground after nine minutes right under referee Andy D'Urso's nose. It came in a first half of Bolton dominance led by Jamaica international Ricardo Gardner, who relegated Beckham to bystander for so much of the match.

"It was another case of how to shoot yourself in the foot during a football match," Allardyce said. "We played so well and probably did deserve to be in front. It doesn't matter who we are playing, we have to see the game out or it will cost us a place in the Premiership."

Bolton scored their untidy goal through a combination of Bruno Ngotty's head and shoulder from Youri Djorkaeff's free kick after 61 minutes. And from then on it was the tense build-up to what has become a depressingly familiar routine for Bolton, who have made a habit of conceding late goals this season. Gardner gave the ball to Gary Neville with 20 seconds left and Allardyce would have been forgiven for shutting his eyes.

The ball went inside to Keane and then out to Beckham, who exploded down the right wing and crossed for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to tuck it home.

Allardyce put his head in his hands and Beckham kicked the advertising hoardings in celebration. Maybe he has more in common with his manager than he would care to admit.